Windows Media Center's replacement, DVD Player, now available on Windows 10

[Scorpus]

Several months before the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft announced that it would be killing off Windows Media Center entirely as the software isn't compatible with the company's latest operating system. According to Microsoft's Gabriel Aul, the Windows team wasn't going to try and fix Media Center due to decreased usage.

However, Microsoft still wanted to give Media Center users a way to access the software's most used functionality, DVD playback, in Windows 10. And as promised, the company has begun rolling out a dedicated Windows DVD Player application for previous Media Center users who have upgraded to Windows 10.

The DVD Player app will be automatically downloaded through Windows Update if you are eligible to receive it. Only those who have upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, or from Windows 8/8.1 with Media Center or the Pro Pack, will get the app for free as these OSes included Media Center previously.

For those upgrading from a version of Windows that didn't come with Media Center, or for those that perform a clean install of Windows 10 on their system, the Windows DVD Player app will not be automatically downloaded to their device. Microsoft will eventually publish the DVD Player app in the Windows Store for those that want it, although it won't be available for free, with pricing yet to be announced.

The DVD Player app won't satisfy many Media Center fans who used the software for its other functionality, but it does give users an easy way to play back DVDs without having to purchase a separate app. That is if you still use DVDs, with many people having switched to streaming media over the past few years.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/61570-windows-media-center-replacement-dvd-player-now-available.html

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

I went to upgrade to Win 10 and got the notice that Media Center needed to be removed. That software is my DVR for Over-The-Air Television. Bummer to lose it. I'm sure there are others, but Media Center worked really well, imo.

And Media Player plays DVDs... why do we need another application?

 

[DDG4005]

I went to upgrade to Win 10 and got the notice that Media Center needed to be removed. That software is my DVR for Over-The-Air Television. Bummer to lose it. I'm sure there are others, but Media Center worked really well, imo.

And Media Player plays DVDs... why do we need another application?

DVD playback was removed from Media Player in Windows 8. I've been using PowerDVD for watching movies and it's good.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

DVD playback was removed from Media Player in Windows 8. I've been using PowerDVD for watching movies and it's good.

Ah... that would be why, I'm still on 7. Good to know, thanks.

 

[Camikazi]

I went to upgrade to Win 10 and got the notice that Media Center needed to be removed. That software is my DVR for Over-The-Air Television. Bummer to lose it. I'm sure there are others, but Media Center worked really well, imo.

And Media Player plays DVDs... why do we need another application?

DVD playback was removed from Media Player in Windows 8. I've been using PowerDVD for watching movies and it's good.

Well damn, I did not know that, shows how long I have been using Kodi/XBMC fo everything. It's been forever since I have even opened up Media Player and when I did it was to sync some audiobooks to my MP3 player.

 

[Some Guy12]

Ok Microsoft how am I supposed to decode copy protected content (I.e. hbo/Cinemax) with a cable card now? Guess I'm stuck with windows 8 /sigh

 

[Tom Evans]

Loss of WMC is a REAL bummer for me. I keep my mediacenter PC with 10TB of hard drives and a 4-channel TV tuner in a back office, and play its content through X-Box extenders to my living room and motorhome "Home Theater" systems. Since Windows95, WMC has been at the center of my home theater systems. I've actually burned up 3 X-Box 360's from using them as Media Center extenders. I often use my home theater system to play slide shows from my extensive photo library while listening to music from my extensive music library. Windows Media Center is my 4-channel DVR that also plays the content from my downloaded video libraries across my home network. I can honestly say, though, that I've NEVER used WMC to play a DVD. Sure--I can switch to XBMC and Emby, but neither of them, nor anything else I've found, will do the slide shows with music thing. I guess maintaining networked digital media libraries instead of simply streaming online content is becoming as antiquated as maintaining shelves full of DVD's. Last one of those I played was when Avatar came with my BluRay player.

 

[Darth Shiv]

Yes very disappointed in the decision to drop WMC. It's a great product and wasn't utilised enough.

 

[Nitrotoxin]

Use handbrake to burn all your DVD's and BlueRay's to .mp4 files and put up a Plex server, that's what I did.

Now I can access all my content from all the computers, phones, tablets, anywhere I am.

Works awesome! TV Tuners are dying along with Cable...

 

[Seventh Reign]

**** DVD's thats what VLC is for. What about those of us with TV Tuners? None of the available programs are working anymore.

 

[Ughhuh]

Dropping Media Center in Windows 10 is a huge Microsoft blunder. It strands those of us who use devices such as Hauppauge's Colossus to view our TV output while working on other PC programs. I purchased Colossus and a TIVO Mini 100% to use the tuner capabilities of Windows Media Center. I was able to use my tuner successfully on Windows7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. My investment is lost totally because of this poor Microsoft decision.